By Cathy Miller

It’s Farmers’ Fair time in Warren County! The 84th annual spectacular wraps up on Saturday, August 6 after eight days of true Americana, family fun with something for everyone – agricultural and home arts exhibits, farm animals, live music, grandstand events, carnival rides, games, delicious food, the Kids’ Corral, and more! The 22nd Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival is there with all things balloon: glows, mass launches, individual flights, and tethered rides.

How does this all come together every year? A Board of 12 Fair Directors, six appointed by Warren Pomona Grange #10, and six appointed by the Warren County Board of Agriculture, tend to every aspect of the Farmers’ Fair. Some things never change, others fall out of favor, new ideas are brought to fruition. Crowning a Queen Mother? A youth version of the Ag Olympics? A heart-pounding Team Penning competition? All new in 2022!

There is only one female Fair Director who has ever sat on the Board, and she’s been a Director for 28 years. She just finished her second non-consecutive two year term as President in January. She has also held the title of Vice President three times. She began her association with the Fair in 1974 as a Warren County 4-H horse leader and served many years as president of the 4-H Horse Leaders Association.

This remarkable lady, with the quickest wit and the best laugh, is Ann Thomas. During Fair Week, she tours the grounds in a golf cart courtesy of Harkers Hollow Golf Course, chatting with fairgoers, fielding questions, solving problems, keeping an eye on everything.

Ann is especially at home around the horse arena. “Years ago we had seven horses at one time,” she noted. “I don’t ride horses. My daughter Stacy was into showing, so we traveled and did big shows. I did classes in showmanship and halter. My husband Marvin rode and did speed classes. Stacy showed in everything – English, Western, speed. In 1987, she was Pennsylvania State barrel racing champion. It all began when she was around six years old. She wanted a pony, so grandma and grandpa gave her one. As she got older, we always knew what our daughter was doing, she was at the barn with those horses. All her friends were horse friends. I’m grateful that I always had a house full of horse kids!”

The Warren County Farmers’ Fair is descended from the Warren County Farmers’ Mechanics’ and Manufacturers’ Association which organized the Warren County Fair in 1859. It attracted 6,000 visitors over four cold, rainy days in October and ran until 1882, when the fair of that version was discontinued.

Ever since, held under various names at various sites, the Fair was always a great attraction. Sponsorship of the Fair was assumed by the Warren County Board of Agriculture and Warren Pomona Grange #10 in 1937, when they took it over. The Warren County Farmers’ Fair Board of Directors was formed shortly thereafter.

They’d begun holding their own Fair at Butlers Park in Washington Township. Maintaining the agricultural emphasis, it also introduced 4-H activities for the first time. Farm machinery and animals rounded out the exhibition, making it a big attraction for local farmers and families.

The crowds grew each year. In 1949 the Warren County Farmers’ Fair was moved to a larger property in Harmony Township. In 1951, the Fair Association purchased land nearby on Route 519, which became the Fair’s permanent home (near Harkers Hollow Golf Course). By 1954, the Fair expanded to four days, which meant more land was acquired to support additional activities and parking.

Ann explained the Fair’s expansion, “Originally the Fair was focused on agriculture, then came the vendors. Families brought their kids and they wanted rides. The Hot Air Balloon Festival is a huge draw. I’ve never gone up in a balloon, but my husband Marvin used to take a ride every year.”

Throughout the years, the Board of Directors has successfully maintained the agricultural component of the exposition, highlighting the rural life and lifestyle that is Warren county. “We keep it traditional and family-friendly. We try not to commercialize it,” Ann said, adding, “Most of all, we work very hard to keep the prices as low as we can.” Attendees appreciate the reasonable prices and the family atmosphere.

In addition to her duties as Fair Director, Ann is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and a County Committeewoman for the Republican Party. She loves working with children. She said, “There was a time when I knew every kid’s name and their horse’s name too. I watched them grow into adults, marry, and now have children of their own in the program. During Fair Week, I’ll have people come up to me, pushing a stroller with another child walking alongside and they’ll say ‘Mrs. Thomas, do you remember me?’ Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, but they always track me down to say hello!” How does that make her feel? “It makes me feel old,” she laughed.

Ann points out Gracie Klimas in a group of people working around the horse arena. “I’ve known Gracie since birth. She’s our current Fair Queen. She’ll be driving in the demolition derby Monday night – the first Fair Queen ever to do that.” Ann motioned to Kyle Semanchik, who was preparing awards. “I met her at a horse show I was running in Hackettstown. She was six years old and had a little pony. I was announcing at the time. She came over to me and tugged on my shirt. I looked down and said hi. She looked up at me and said ‘I love horses.’ To this day, we’re still close.”

This is Gracie’s second year as reigning Fair Queen. “Since we didn’t have any applicants this year, 2021’s Queen and Princess will be recrowned,” Ann explained. “This year, the Fair will hold a Rerun of Past Fair Queens Pageant when we’ll pick a ‘Queen Mother.’ I anticipate seven former fair queens, from 1953, 1954 and more recent, will compete, answering questions like how has agriculture changed since they were first crowned.”

She continued, “Years ago we’d get a big turnout for fair queen. Over time it’s dwindled. When my daughter ran, we had 15 to 20 girls compete. The queen contestants wore bathing suits. We finally did away with that. We added a talent portion. That kept some away who said they didn’t have any talent. A few years ago we did away with the talent portion and added questions. In addition to giving an opening speech, each contestant had three questions – one was about the fair, one was about agriculture and one was about community. Some of the answers were quite interesting.”

What is Ann’s most vivid memory as Fair Director? “When it rains at the fairgrounds, it really rains! In 2016 we held a reunion of the fair queens with at least 25 to 30 queens attending. We had the worst rain that night – heavy, windy, pouring down, flooding rain. It took out a lot of our tents and washed away the sand in the horse ring. It rushed down past the campers, to the dance floor where I had all my queens onstage in gowns with their tiaras and sashes from years ago. While introducing them one by one, I watched the sky hoping to get through this before it opened up. I rushed everybody. We made it through the program and got everybody off the stage. By now it was thundering and lightning. The Fair photographer insisted on a group picture, carefully posing them. I looked up – the tarp over them was full of water. I didn’t want to say anything over the mic to upset anybody, but we all knew how this was going to end. The photographer finally took her picture as the tarp let loose. The water poured down all over everyone. The women were laughing and giggling and soaked to the hills! Denise Dabinett, the Fair photographer, captured it all.”

After the Fair ends, what does Ann like to do? Not surprisingly, she quickly answered, “Sleep! About a week later, the phones start ringing.” And then? “I usually plan our annual fair dinner at Harkers Hollow, which donates all the golf carts to us for Fair week. We do Community Day in Hackettstown. We do parades – St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July. It’s advertising for the fair. I don’t do much of anything else.”

Does she have any hobbies? She chuckled, “I like collecting junk. When we moved into our house, my mother came too, so we had a lot of her stuff. Marvin’s mother had passed and we cleaned out her house, so we had some of her stuff. Then there’s my stuff and a bit of Stacy’s stuff, because when she moved, she never took it! I’ve got a lot of stuff!”

A lifelong resident of the Garden State, Ann was born in Somerville Hospital. She moved to Tewksbury Township, and lived there for many years. She and Marvin were married in 1963. She worked in a bank for a short while, then became a bridal consultant at a shop in Easton, PA, working there for about five years, until it closed. She said, “I enjoyed it a lot. Some of the brides were a little crazy, especially as the big day got closer. But I was in my element when I did weddings.”

The couple moved to Hackettstown in 1973. Marvin passed away in 2018. Ann recalled, “Marvin loved the Fair. He came with me every year.” She loves the Fair too, and 4-H, but topping her list of “greatests” is her late husband Marvin and her daughter Stacy.

An apt and enthusiastic ambassador of the Warren County Farmers’ Fair, Ann Thomas (and her “boys,” as she refers to the 11 male Directors) do a fine job preparing a memorable event every year – balancing the traditions of an old-time farm show while insuring there’s something for all ages and interests.

Be sure to visit the website for the full schedule of activities through August 6.
www.warrencountyfarmersfair.org

The Fairgrounds are located off Route 519 in Harmony Township.

References:
njskylands.com/fmwcfair
explorewarren.org/node/7758